Missing vapor barriers, moisture barriers and insulation can cause you to have costly issues in your home

  When a client calls to book a home inspection I ask many questions to determine how long the inspection will take.  One of these questions is does this home have a crawl space?  Almost every time I ask this question my soon to be clients don’t know the answer.  The point I’m getting to is that crawl spaces can bring a whole different dynamic to a homes structure and being.  There are many type of crawl spaces and all need to be inspected diligently to protect and educate the client about what is down there and how will it effect the home.  My client from the Bensenville home inspection knew there was a crawl space present in the home and wanted to know everything he could about the area.

  This particular crawl space did have portion of moisture barrier present but not a solid sheet that would prevent moisture to enter the living area above.  In fact the crawl looked pretty good overall.  A missing vapor barrier or moisture barrier can allow moisture to enter the crawlspace from the dirt or gravel base  which in turn will enter the living area above. Many issues can develop from moisture in your crawl.

• Mold and mildew are one of the biggest issues that can develop from moisture in a crawl space.  Mold and or mildew can develop on foundation walls, floor joist  and floor sheeting very easy.
• Hardwood floors can be ruined by crowning.  Crowning of hardwood floors happens when moisture enters the floor on a consistent basis.  Once this happens it can not be reversed.
• Allergens can develop and get into your living area of the home.  Once this happens it can be passed throughout the home through the duct work.  The only way to eliminate this issue is to have the heating ducts cleaned.

  Luckily for my client from the Bensenville home inspection there were no issues from the list above in his home.   That leads me to another list of items that you want to look for in your crawl space.  This is a list of items you want to find in your crawl space to keep it a healthy crawl space. 

• Ventilation in a crawl is a must.  If your crawl space does get moisture it will be able to be vented out easily.  You always want at least 2 vents in your crawl space.  The crawlspace at the Bensenville home inspection had 5 vents.  I believe that is why the gravel crawl space did not have high humidity.
• Vapor barrier or moisture barrier is a must also.  I prefer to see the floor of a crawl space to be concrete.  In  my opinion that is the best moisture barrier but plastic will get the job done.  The vapor and moisture barrier prevent moisture from entering the home causing havoc on the structure.
• Heating ducts in a crawl space should be insulated to prevent heat loss from the furnace to the vent in the room where the vent is going.  You can lose up to 20 degrees by not having insulated ducts in your crawl space.
• Plumbing pipes will need to be insulated to prevent cracks in piping in the long Midwest winters.
• Insulation should be installed in the floor joists of the ceiling of the crawl space to keep the heat and cool air in the room above the crawl space.

 The Bensenville home inspection was missing insulation and had other issues to deal with in the crawl space.   The property had water entry into the block foundation due to poor grading around the home.  This is a simple and reasonably cheap repair that can be done by any homeowner.  As you can see there are many questions you need to ask when looking at your crawl space.  If you have further questions about crawl spaces then please contact me at ~ The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Jim Kolke

Fluke thermal imagers should be used on every home inspection. PERIOD!

  Yesterday I was hired to inspect a foreclosure town home that had windows that were cracked in a transom.  A transom is a window above another window that allows sunlight to fill th room.  I personally really like the fact that this home had these transoms.  I found out at the Chicago home inspection in Greek town that my clients hired me because we use a Fluke thermal imager on every home inspection.  They saw water stains and paint bubbling on the ceiling of a bay window area in the living room.

 On my arrival to the Chicago home inspectionI found water coming through a ceiling in the living rooms bay window.  Obviously there was issues with the roof and the flashing’s that would need attention, roofing contractor. There were also issues with windows that were cracked and possible lack of headers above windows.  My clients from the Chicago home inspection were very concerned that there were structural issues with the lack of headers above windows.  That is when I took up my fluke thermal imager and we began scanning the walls.

The fluke thermal imager has many uses and I will explain many of them in this article.

• Structural issues are sometimes filed with the use of a fluke thermal imager. These issues can be seen only when a temperature differential is available in the the fluke thermal imager is not an x-ray machine it is a temperature tool.  Because the exterior temperature of a home is different than interior temperature of the home we are able to the see the actual wall joists and headers.
• Water intrusion in walls and ceilings of the home is easily seen with the use of a fluke thermal imager. The use of a fluke thermal imager by itself is never done.  Tramex moisture meters are also used as another tool to document the fact that there is water or moisture in a wall.  The use of either tool by their self is never done because checks and balances are a must in any home inspection.
• Electrical breaker boxes are  scanned for overheated breakers.  If a breaker is overloaded or double tapped the fluke thermal imager will see it as an overheated breaker.  Overheated breakers can cause fires and homes.  It is pertinent that a fluke thermal imager is used to scan your electrical breaker box your home inspection is being done.
• Insulation voids are found with the use of a fluke thermal imager. Fluke thermal imager’sare able to tell that insulation is missing or compromised in a wall or an attic with the use of temperature differential.

If you are a home  owner or a home buyer and you have questions about this process them please contact me at ~ The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Jim Kolke

How much should your home inspection cost? Or How much is it worth to you?

  I guess this question is all relative.  Personally I hear that our home inspection cost is a little high or in the higher end of the market.  I don’t get upset because most home buyers, home sellers, real estate brokers and real estate Realtors don’t really understand what it cost to run a profitable home inspection company.  There are many aspects that will influence the home inspection cost or price.  Pinnacle Property Inspection Services receives numerous calls and or emails daily on quoting out home inspection services.  I’ve tried to explain to my clients that you are paying for a professional service that should not be treated so lightly.  Today I’ll expose the real overhead cost to run a profitable home inspection company in Chicago and any where in the United States. 

• Errors and Omission insurance should be a major cost of a home inspection company.  I know that a very large percentage of Home inspection companies do not buy Errors and Omission insurance.  Why??  A cheap $250,000.00 costs about $2500.00 for 1 year.  If you do only 200 home inspections a year you will have to lose $12.50 a home inspection.
• Home inspection license is another major cost.  In Illinois we pay $200.00 a year and $200.00 a year for our business license.  That is $400.00 a year.  I understand that most states do not have licensing fees so most of these home inspectors in these states flock to a home inspector association.
• Home inspector association is a great way to meet other home inspectors and get recognized by your customers that you are a professional.  I personally belong to InterNachi and find a great worth for their marketing skills to help the company get leads.  The membership is $275.00a year.  If you did 200 inspection $1.25 would go to pay that fee.
• Tools and office equipment is unbelievable cost.  We use Fluke thermal imagers which cost $5000.00 for 1 camera. Moisture meters, hand tools, gas meters, thermometers, mold testing equipment, radon monitors and so on is a huge cost.  Lest just call that $30.00 a home inspection that is past on to the client.
• Transportation is a huge cost.  As most of you know that gas is not getting any cheaper.  I would venture to say $6000.00 would cover gas fees for 1 year.  The cost for 200 home inspection is $30.00 per home inspection.
• Home inspection marketing should be a major cost to any home inspection company.  If it is not and they are doing well then they are very lucky.  We budget $20,000.00 a year in marketing but lets call a 200 home inspection budget at $3000.00.  This wont get you big growth in sales but will keep you where you are at.  The cost for this marketing budget is $15.00 per home inspection.

If you were to add all these numbers up we would be close to a $100.00 per home inspection.  I recently received a call from a client that wanted us to perform a home  inspection in Chicago for $275.00.  The home was a 3 bedroom / 2 bathroom home that was approximately 2000 square feet.  This inspection took me 3 hours to inspect and 2 hours to prepare the home inspection report.  The client from the Chicago home inspection did not hire us for her first home inspection.  She did hire us for the second home inspection though.  My price for this Chicago home inspection was $395.00.  I lost the initial deal to a home inspector that does any home for $275.00.  I’m sure he does not have any of these overhead costs that a real home inspection would incur.  He can come in and be the budget home inspector for these clients that think they are getting a great deal.  If you are a client that is worried about how cheap you can get your home inspector to perform a home inspection then be prepared to have issues in you home that you did not know about.  My client from the Chicago home inspection almost was on the hook for a new roof…. $11,000.00.  Pay now .. or .. pay later.  You choose!

If you have further questions about how I derived at these prices you are more than welcome to contact me at ~ The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Jim Kolke

  If you are in the home buying market at this time then I’m sure you have looked at homes that are in foreclosure.  That was the case for my home inspection in Zion, Illinois.  My client was buying the property at a reduced price and was planning using the property as an investment property.  Most of my readers already know that I specialize in foreclosure home inspections in the Chicago land area.  The reason why I work the foreclosure market so much is because I have a plumbing license.  Licensed plumbers are a commodity in Illinois.  To be a home inspector and a licensed plumber has provided me with a huge market to pick from.  If you are buying a foreclosure home like my client from the Zion home inspection then make sure you have the water turned on  so that the plumbing water supply system and the waste water supply system can be tested.  There are to many issues that can come up and cost you thousands in repairs that may stem from water damage from issues from broken piping or leaking plumbing fixtures. 

• Water mains can have broken pipes or issues with leaking valves that will need repairs.  If you cant shut off the water in the home then you will be making an emergency call to a plumber that may costs hundreds just for a service call.
• Broken water piping is an issue that I find routinely in homes that have been winterized.  Even when water piping has been winterized there are areas that water can settle and possibly crack the water piping.  Water piping repairs can be expensive if walls have to be opened and then repaired after the piping repairs have been done.

  Broken pipes like this can cost hundreds to repair

   

• Broken waste lines are common issues that also can cost hundreds if walls or ceiling have to be modified so repairs can be made.
• Sump pumps and ejector pumps need water to test.  Sometimes there is no water in a sump pit and water is added to test the pumps abilities.  When the water is off during a foreclosure home inspection then the ability to test these pumps is reduced greatly.
• Plumbing fixtures can leak after the water is turned on and all areas of the home should be monitored after the water is turned on.  Ice makers, toilets, tubs, sinks and so on must be tested to make sure the traps are working properly and more important are not broken.

I recently performed a home inspection in Zion, Illinois that was a foreclosed home that did not have the water on.  I had to make a special trip to the property for a second time to meet with the Zion village plumber to turn on the water.  Why?  I wanted to make sure my client did not have any unknown issues that might cost him hundreds or even worse … thousands! 

If you are in the market for a home and you are contemplating buying a foreclosed home make sure you have a plumber on call to make sure that you are not getting into something more than you can handle.  If you have questions that I can help you with please contact me at ~ The Thermal Home Inspector or 312-961-4228. 

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe. 

Jim Kolke

  Does your home have a whole house humidifier on your furnace?  If you do then you should read this article.  I found a reservoir whole house humidifier on a furnace while performing a home inspection in Wilmette, Illinois.  Humidifiers are systems that run water through them while air from the furnace passes through to add moisture to the air.  Mold is known to breed in humidifiers along with other systems in a home. There are two type of whole house humidifiers that can be installed on a furnace supply duct.

• Pad filtered whole house humidifiers allow the bypass of warm air through the filter of the humidifier which attracts moisture to the warm air.  This air is circulated throughout the home through the duct system of the home.  These type of whole house humidifiers are not known to have high counts of mold.
• Reservoir whole house humidifiers have water in the bottom of the humidifier where a fan turns with filters on it.  The warm air passes through the filters and the moisture is added to the warm air.  These whole house humidifiers are known to breed mold because of the standing water in the unit.

Both of these type of whole house humidifiers are good for the purpose they are intended for.  They both should be cleaned with dish soap and water to clean out any possible mold growth.   These units should be cleaned annually or replaced every three years to prevent mold breeding.  If regular cleaning of the humidifier the possibility of mold in the ducts will be diminished greatly.  Replacement of a whole house humidifier should only cost $275.00.

Unfortunately, the Wilmette home inspection came up with moist air that was found with a hygrometer and surface mildew that I felt that my clients should know what it was.  I suggested a mold inspection for my clients in their new home in Wilmette, Illinois.

I performed a mold air test, a swab sample mold test on the ducts from that the furnace that had a humidifier that happened to have a large amount of mold in it.  The mold inspection in Wilmette came up positive with  Stachybotrys which is sometimes called “Black Mold”.  The ducts from the furnace was the area that had evidence of  Stachybotrys mold in it and I suggested that the ducts be cleaned by a professional HVAC contractor that had experience with Mediation of mold in ducts.

As you can see mold can come and live anywhere in your home.  My clients from the Wilmette mold inspection were amazed that the mold would be living in the humidifier and contaminate the ducts and rest of the home when in use.  If you have questions about mold and where it can live please contact me at ~ The Mold Inspector or 312-961-4228.

Thanks for stopping by and stay safe.

Jim Kolke